Rogue Prince

by Cameron Drake

  I rolled my eyes.

  “Just watch, we’ll come home from a boring trip and they’ll be in the living room watching Buffy.”

  Caleb raised an elegant eyebrow.

  “I thought Bernard was more of a Vampire Diaries man.”

  I burst into laughter.

  “I thought you didn’t pay attention to all that.”

  He huffed a little and puffed out his chest. “How am I to avoid knowing far too much when the two of you cackle like witches? Nightfall, the absurd things I have been forced to endure…”

  My shoulders were still shaking as I walked up the stairs to my room.

  Chapter 7

  Friendship is built on mutual trust and admiration.

  “I’ll trade you… both your eggrolls.”

  I groaned and stared longingly at the eggrolls I’d been about to dig into.

  “Not the shrimp?”

  “That one too.”

  I grumbled and slid them over. Karen looked at me appraisingly. Then she stole a glance at Dylan, who was grabbing something from his car.

  We often met out here for lunch. Dylan wasn’t in school anymore, but he worked not far away doing construction. I had no idea how he managed to pick up food, get here, eat, and get back, but he did. And bless him, he’d brought Chinese food today.

  Karen was giving me an assessing look when I looked back at her.

  “He must really be under your skin. You love eggrolls.”

  “I am desperate.”

  “Okay, first tip is to imagine your mind as a steel box. That’s the basic stuff. I’m sure you’ve tried that. The other stuff requires energy work, and you need to white light yourself first.”

  “White light?”

  “Imagine you are bathed in white light. Imagine it purifying you. You can picture a large bubble of it surrounding you, if that helps.”

  “Like Glinda in The Wizard of Oz?”

  She nodded.

  “Exactly like Glinda.”

  Karen took a knife and cut both eggrolls in half. Then she slid a portion of each flavor back to me.

  “Thank you.”

  “You looked too sad. I couldn’t take advantage of you.”

  “I’ll always share my eggrolls with you, Karen.”

  She snort-laughed, which she always did when she thought something was really funny. It made me laugh, and then we were rolling on the blanket in the sunshine like a couple of drunk monkeys.

  There was nothing remotely dignified about us when we got this way.

  “You guys okay?” Dylan gave us a worried look as he sat crossed-legged on the blanket. “Are you guys drinking wine coolers or something?”

  I tried to stop laughing. I really did. But there was no hope for it.

  “Nobody drinks wine coolers, Dylan.”

  “Some people do.”

  “Who?”

  He shrugged and muttered, “Chicks.”

  We started laughing again. Eventually, hunger won out. Karen started explaining some of the ways to block a telepathic bond.

  “Is that what it is? Telepathic?”

  “Well, that’s the type of bond Fae usually have.”

  “What kind of bond is it, do you think?”

  “Maybe a blend of a Vamp bond and Fae bond since you both have Angelic blood. The techniques aren’t perfect.”

  I bit into my half of the eggroll and almost moaned in ecstasy. It really was a sin to have such good Chinese food in this small town on the edge of nowhere. I thanked Nightfall for it every time I took a bite.

  Other than my friends and the cozy house, it was one of the main reasons I had fought to stay here instead of jumping from town to town the way we had for years. I had Chinese food at least twice a week without fail.

  So far, we’d been lucky. No one except Janelle had noticed that I was a little weird. No one had noticed that strange things happened in this town. Or that every once in a while, a biker or other degenerate came into the hospital with a shockingly low blood volume.

  Of course, all that would change when Maxim came back.

  I caught Dylan staring at me with a pained look on his face.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You knew he was coming back.”

  “I did.”

  “Then what?”

  He just stood and brushed his hands off on his jeans.

  “I need to get back to work. Have a good day.”

  I watched him leave, then looked at Karen.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Do you really want to know?”

  “Yes. If I’m upsetting him, of course, I want to know.”

  “It’s not your fault. It’s just…” She repositioned herself on the blanket. “Imagine if you loved someone. Like, really loved them, but you couldn’t be with them for whatever reason.”

  “Okay.”

  I knew that Dylan loved me. At one point, we had been in love. I loved him too, even though it was different now.

  “Now imagine if that person falls in love with someone else. Someone everyone knows is bad for them.”

  “I’m not in love with Maxim!”

  “Imagine having a front-row seat to that person denying their feelings, fighting against them, all that.”

  “But I’m not—”

  “Listen to me. You are my friend. I know it’s my fault that you aren’t with Dylan. But I’m an empath. I can tell you exactly what you felt when you mentioned that he was coming back.”

  I stared as she held up her fingers, ticking them off one by one.

  “You are angry with him and yourself.”

  True.

  “You are wistful. You want to see him, but you know it’s treacherous.”

  Again, true.

  “You miss him more than you could have imagined and are afraid you are in love with him, even if you won’t admit the possibility to yourself.”

  I was not ready to admit how true that was.

  “You feel guilty because you are torturing the other person you love, who you are still in love with, even if it’s a much less exciting kind of love.”

  Another uncomfortable truth, or close to it.

  I stared at her, feeling totally exposed. She was right. She was right about everything.

  I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. I put my eggroll down and stared at the red pattern of the blanket.

  “Nightfall.”

  “Yeah. Whatever that means.”

  “And he can see all that?”

  “He doesn’t just see it. He feels it. A never-ending gut punch.”

  “Why doesn’t he shut me out then? The way you taught him to keep me from feeling him?”

  “Because he’s addicted to it. He gets love from you. He hangs onto it. But if Maxim is really back…”

  “Not for long. Just so we can find out…”

  “What?”

  Nightfall, you aren’t supposed to tell her about the other powers.

  “We need his contacts in the Vamp world. He has information for us.”

  “Sure.”

  “I’m not even going to be here when he comes! Hopefully, he’ll be gone by the time I get back.”

  Karen just cocked an eyebrow and tilted her head. I watched her take a big bite of her eggroll. I could smell the shrimpy goodness from here.

  But my appetite was gone.

  I used a wet wipe on my hands and pulled my gloves back on.

  I stared out the window and sighed. I was trying not to think about what Karen had said. I would die of embarrassment if Maxim even got a whiff of that. I focused on the steel box. It seemed more thorough than a garage door or moat. But I couldn’t really tell if it was working.

  I closed my eyes, trying to imagine white light surrounding me. It was working! I felt warm and safe and—

  “Sophie?”

  Someone was standing next to me. Clearing their throat. I opened my eyes and stared up at Mr. Penbrecker, my thoroughly evil math teacher. And i
f a creature of the night such as myself thought he was evil, trust me, he was.

  So much for the protective bubble.

  “Do you want to join us for class, young lady?”

  I cringed at the patronizing tone. He was awful. He was fond of belittling the girls in the class. The man basically embodied the patriarchy.

  “I could review this for you later, in detention.”

  I shook my head rapidly.

  Mr. Penbrecker was notorious for being overly friendly with pretty female students. He’d never crossed the line as far as I knew, but he oozed sleaze. The last thing I wanted was to be stuck here with him.

  I was sorely tempted to glamour him into being less creeptastic. If not for my sake, for the students he would have in the future. It was uncomfortable to be put down and coyly flirted with for the girls, and it set a bad example for the boys.

  If he wasn’t so gross, I’d be tempted to eat him.

  I felt my fangs wanting to pop and exhaled in annoyance. I didn’t want to drink his blood. I just wanted to tear his throat out.

  Easy, killer. The guy deserves to be fired, not gutted.

  Dylan’s voice rang out in my head. I smiled sweetly and shook my head.

  “No, Mr. Penbrecker.”

  “Good girl. Now come up to the chalkboard and show us the formula we were just discussing.”

  I dug my nails into my hands. I was not a dog. I did not appreciate being told I was a ‘good girl.’

  Honestly, how someone had not knocked this guy’s block off was hard to believe.

  I’ll do more than that.

  No, Maxim. I can fight my own battles.

  But you said you don’t want to eat him. I do. Slowly. While making him watch Buffy.

  I smirked a little. Well, apparently, I’d made another Buffy convert. Sure, she was on the other side, but she was the perfect example of girl power.

  Buffy pretty much rocked.

  I lifted the chalk to the chalkboard before Mr. Penbrecker could comment on my gloves. He’d mentioned them before. I had gotten a note from the nurse giving me permission to wear them. I’d tearfully told her I had a persistent rash.

  It was always nice when my acting made glamouring and bloodshed unnecessary. But that didn’t mean I enjoyed the odd looks I got.

  Yeah, in case you were wondering, fancy leather gloves went over REALLY well in high school.

  I solved the problem absentmindedly and turned to return to my seat. Everyone was staring at me with their mouths slightly open. Mr. Penbrecker himself looked dumbfounded.

  “I didn’t mean for you to solve all the problems, Sophie.”

  Whoops. I’d answered all the problems on the board. I just hoped I had moved at human speed when I did it.

  Sloppy, Princess. You put yourself at risk.

  I know.

  You shouldn’t even be in school. You are royalty. You should be tutored, not slumming with small-minded mortals.

  Shut up.

  I walked back to my seat and sat with a thud. I knew Maxim was right. I probably shouldn’t be here. Maybe my experiment in typical human experiences was too risky. I couldn’t endanger my guardians or my cause.

  Just to put the icing on the cake, Janelle was smirking at me from a few seats away. I stared at her and she blanched, turning away.

  I dare you, I thought menacingly. The mean girl was someone I would be more than happy to eat.

  Teenagers probably taste extra-good, right? I asked, knowing that Maxim was listening.

  His low laugh made me feel a lot better. But I caught her staring at me a few more times as the day went on. It almost felt like she was planning something again.

  Even she couldn’t be that stupid.

  She was the only person in the whole town other than Karen and Dylan who knew I was a little bit more than human. A lot more, really. But it was my humanity I clung to the hardest.

  She’d be a fool to start trouble again.

  But if I’d learned anything, it was that it was human nature to be a fool.

  Chapter 8

  Normalcy is a privilege afforded to the unaware.

  “Okay, start again.”

  I stood in front of the squad. We were working on a new routine. And to soothe my guilt at not being at home training with Caleb and Bernard, this routine was choreographed like a fight.

  The girls got into formation and I started the music. First the elbows went up. Every other girl stepped forward in the back and front rows. The other girls stepped back. We now had three rows. They turned to face each other down the center in perfect symmetry.

  And then all hell broke loose.

  Choreographed hell, but hell all the same.

  I had to say, cheerleading was a lot more fun without Janelle on the squad. She’d quit not long after I’d caught her planting a spike right where I was supposed to stick my landing. She was beyond lucky that she hadn’t run into me during my bloodlust.

  I’d been the most dangerous predator on Earth for a few months. My thirst was unquenchable. I went through blood bags like tissues and it still wasn’t enough. I could have drunk the whole squad and still not been satisfied.

  Until Dylan and Maxim had stepped in to save me, and everyone around me, from that never-ending thirst.

  I jumped in, taking my part in the dance fight. I spun and swerved, with a couple of back-flips and layups thrown in here and there. I was careful to hold back my strength and speed, even practicing looking human (and fallible) for Bernard when Caleb was asleep.

  Caleb was none too pleased with my determination to blend in with humans. Maxim was even less pleased. Not that I gave a damn what he thought.

  As the routine reached the crescendo, we fell back into formation, dancing together instead of being at war. It was a metaphorical rebuilding with cooperative dance moves and stunts. The end pose was one of solidarity.

  I figured the world could use a little bit of positivity with the way things were going in the human world.

  Of course, if they knew what was happening in the Supernatural world, humans on every side of every conflict would pretty much poop their collective pants.

  If the New Leaders maintained control and took the steps we’d been hearing rumbling about… it would be unthinkable. They wanted total dominion over humankind. We’d learned bits and pieces of their plan over the past few years, and it was terrifying. They planned for humans to be little more than pets and food. Nothing else. Not artists or doctors or soldiers. Nothing. Just… chattel. I couldn’t allow that to happen. Saving my father and regaining our home were secondary in my mind. I knew that if he was in his right mind, he would readily agree.

  We were pretty much trying to save the world.

  “Good practice, guys! I’ll see you next week! Remember, Jacey will be running practice in my absence.”

  The girls all waved at me. I got a couple of hugs as they wished me a safe trip. I wasn’t besties with anyone on the squad, but Nightfall, I loved these girls. They didn’t just include me. They welcomed me. It was a weird, warm, and wonderful feeling.

  The whole school had pretty much embraced me, with a few notable exceptions.

  I had given up on keeping a low profile. Being with Dylan last year had made me way too conspicuous. I was just another popular girl who had dated the captain of the football team. I still kept to myself as much as I could.

  In the end, it was almost safer to hide in plain sight. What was ‘normal’ anyway? A girl in dark clothes who ate lunch alone, or a cheerleader? They were both normal. And they were both me.

  I grabbed my stuff and headed out to the parking lot. I saw Bernard leaning against the hood of his SUV. I grinned. The Vamp was a cat, soaking up the sun whenever he could.

  He waved and gave me a quick kiss on my cheek in greeting. We both jumped in and dutifully buckled our seatbelts with wry smiles. He pulled out into the row of parents and teen drivers leaving the parking lot. It was funny how easily he slid into middle-class suburban life
. It was almost as if he’d been born for it.

  “Ready for your trip?”

  “Not really.”

  “I started packing for you. You just have to gather your toiletries and makeup.”

  “I don’t wear a lot of makeup.”

  “We bought you some for the trip. I packed that. I meant your little lip glosses and lady things.”

  I burst into laughter.

  “Lady things?”

  He shrugged. “Well, I don’t know. I packed everything else.”

  “Thank you, Bernard. I would be lost without you.”

  “Well, no, you wouldn’t. But you wouldn’t be as well-fed or well-dressed.”

  The smile faded from my face. “No, B. I would be lost.”

  He glanced away from the road and gave me a small smile. We were all thinking about it more and more these days, who would survive the upcoming war and how the rest of us would go on without them.

  I didn’t tell them, of course, but I had a way around that. I was resolute in my plan. If things went against us, I would give myself up before any of my friends were hurt. I was determined that if there was anyone who did not make it, it would be me.

  Bernard really had packed everything. I even found my phone charger neatly coiled inside a pocket of my insanely expensive-looking Italian leather luggage. My laptop was tucked away too. He’d taken care of everything.

  Except comfy clothes and something to read.

  I grabbed a few books I was reading and stuck them in the outer pocket of one of the bags. I shoved a pair of jeans and a few T-shirts into another pocket. Then I shrugged.

  Bernard stuck his head in my door. “Ready?”

  I nodded. “Yeah.”

  He frowned and then called Caleb.

  “Cay? She’s not wearing her travel clothes.”

  “Tell her to put them on.”

  Bernard came into the room and closed the door. Hanging on the back was a green wool blazer, a white shirt, and a pair of tweed pants.

  “What, am I going to prep school?”

  “This is so much nicer than a school uniform.”

  “Why do I need to dress for the trip, anyway?”